Systems and methods for adjusting progressive image transmission based on device properties

ABSTRACT

Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media can store a set of image portions that forms an image at a specified resolution. A request for the image can be acquired from a client device. The request can include information about one or more properties associated with the client device. A subset of image portions can be selected out of the set of image portions based on the one or more properties associated with the client device. The subset of image portions can be transmitted to the client device in response to the request.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/222,703, filed on Sep. 23, 2015 and entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODSFOR ADJUSTING PROGRESSIVE IMAGE TRANSMISSION BASED ON DEVICEPROPERTIES”, which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present technology relates to the field of media processing. Moreparticularly, the present technology relates to techniques for adjustingprogressive image transmission based on device properties.

BACKGROUND

Today, people often utilize computing devices (or systems) for a widevariety of purposes. Users can use their computing devices to, forexample, interact with one another, access content, share content, andcreate content. In some cases, users can utilize their computing devicesto download, view, or otherwise access media content. For instance,users of a social networking system (or service) can, via theircomputing devices, access their feeds or other users' profiles to viewvarious posts that include media content items, such as images. Underconventional approaches rooted in computer technology, transmitting anentire image at its full resolution can, in some cases, require asignificant amount of data. In many instances, users' computing devices(or systems) may have limited data access, such as due to limitedcellular data plans. Moreover, in some instances, users' computingdevices may not necessarily have the capabilities (e.g., due to limiteddisplay screen sizes or resolutions) to efficiently utilize entireimages at full resolutions. Furthermore, conventional approaches toproviding images can store multiple versions of an image to servedifferent computing devices, which can cause data storage inefficiency.As such, conventional approaches can create challenges for or reduce theoverall experience associated with utilizing media content such asimages.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments of the present disclosure can include systems,methods, and non-transitory computer readable media configured to storea set of image portions that forms an image at a specified resolution. Arequest for the image can be acquired from a client device. The requestcan include information about one or more properties associated with theclient device. A subset of image portions can be selected out of the setof image portions based on the one or more properties associated withthe client device. The subset of image portions can be transmitted tothe client device in response to the request.

In an embodiment, selecting the subset of image portions out of the setof image portions based on the one or more properties associated withthe client device can further comprise determining, based on the one ormore properties, at least one of a client resolution or a clientdimension of a display element of the client device. A quantity ofsuccessive image portions forming a version of the image that is capableof being rendered to match, within an allowable deviation, the at leastone of the client resolution or the client dimension of the displayelement can be determined. The quantity of successive image portions canbe included in the subset of image portions.

In an embodiment, the version of the image can maintain at least aspecified threshold level of visually perceived detail. The specifiedthreshold level of visually perceived detail can be based on at leastsome of the one or more properties associated with the client device.

In an embodiment, the version of the image can be caused to be displayedvia the client device at the client resolution.

In an embodiment, the one or more properties associated with the clientdevice can indicate a location at which the client device is used. Thesubset of image portions can be selected out of the set of imageportions based on the location.

In an embodiment, at least a first quantity of successive imagesportions can be selected to be included in the subset of image portionswhen the location corresponds to a first region recognized as having atleast a specified threshold level of device capability or networkcapability. A second quantity of successive images portions less thanthe first quantity can be selected to be included in the subset of imageportions when the location corresponds to a second region recognized ashaving less than the specified threshold level of device capability ornetwork capability.

In an embodiment, the set of image portions that forms the image at thespecified resolution can be stored via a cache associated with a contentdelivery network.

In an embodiment, the cache can exclude one or more different versionsof the image at one or more different resolutions other than thespecified resolution.

In an embodiment, the set of image portions can include a set of one ormore progressive image scans.

In an embodiment, the image can include a Joint Photographic ExpertsGroup (JPEG) image. The set of the one or more progressive image scanscan include a set of one or more progressive JPEG scans.

It should be appreciated that many other features, applications,embodiments, and/or variations of the disclosed technology will beapparent from the accompanying drawings and from the following detaileddescription. Additional and/or alternative implementations of thestructures, systems, non-transitory computer readable media, and methodsdescribed herein can be employed without departing from the principlesof the disclosed technology.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example system including an exampledevice-tailored progressive image module configured to facilitateadjusting progressive image transmission based on device properties,according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example subset selection module configured tofacilitate adjusting progressive image transmission based on deviceproperties, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example diagram representing a progressive imageassociated with adjusting progressive image transmission based on deviceproperties, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example scenario associated with adjustingprogressive image transmission based on device properties, according toan embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example method associated with adjustingprogressive image transmission based on device properties, according toan embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example method associated with adjustingprogressive image transmission based on device properties, according toan embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates a network diagram of an example system including anexample social networking system that can be utilized in variousscenarios, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a computer system or computing devicethat can be utilized in various scenarios, according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

The figures depict various embodiments of the disclosed technology forpurposes of illustration only, wherein the figures use like referencenumerals to identify like elements. One skilled in the art will readilyrecognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments ofthe structures and methods illustrated in the figures can be employedwithout departing from the principles of the disclosed technologydescribed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Adjusting Progressive Image Transmission Based onDevice Properties

People use computing systems (or devices) for various purposes. Userscan utilize their computing systems to establish connections, engage incommunications, interact with one another, and/or interact with varioustypes of content. In some cases, a user of a computing device can accessmedia content. For example, the user can utilize his or her computingdevice to access a social networking system (or service). In thisexample, the user can download, view, or otherwise interact with a mediacontent item, such as an image, via the user's newsfeed, via pagesassociated with other entities, and/or via profiles associated withother users of the social networking system.

Conventional approaches rooted in computer technology generally provide,deliver, or transmit an entire image at its full resolution when auser's computing device requests for the image. Transmission of theentire image at its full resolution under conventional approaches canrequire a significant or non-trivial amount of data, which may belimited based on the user's data plan (e.g., cellular data plan).Moreover, in accordance with conventional approaches, network conditionsmay sometimes not be suitable to allow for efficient transmission of theentire image at its full resolution. Additionally, such conventionalapproaches can be inefficient or wasteful when the user's computingdevice does not require the entire image at its full resolution or whenthe user's computing device lacks the capability to efficiently utilizethe entire image at its full resolution.

Furthermore, in some cases, conventional approaches to providing imagescan store multiple versions of each image in a cache. For example, acache of a content delivery network can store at least a low resolutionversion of an image and a high resolution version of the image, suchthat the cache can provide, deliver, transmit, or make availablewhichever version of the image is suitable based on a request for theimage. However, such conventional approaches can cause inefficienciesfor data storage, since each image can require multiple versions to bestored or cached.

Due to these or other concerns, conventional approaches can bedisadvantageous or problematic. Therefore, an improved approach can bebeneficial for addressing or alleviating various drawbacks associatedwith conventional approaches. Based on computer technology, thedisclosed technology can adjust or tailor progressive image transmissionbased on device properties. Various embodiments of the presentdisclosure can store a set of image portions that forms an image at aspecified resolution. A request for the image can be acquired from aclient device. The request can include information about one or moreproperties associated with the client device. A subset of image portionscan be selected out of the set of image portions based on the one ormore properties associated with the client device. The subset of imageportions can be transmitted to the client device in response to therequest. It is contemplated that there can be many variations and/orother possibilities associated with the disclosed technology.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example system 100 including an exampledevice-tailored progressive image module 102 configured to facilitateadjusting progressive image transmission based on device properties,according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in theexample of FIG. 1, the device-tailored progressive image module 102 caninclude an image portion module 104, a request acquisition module 106, asubset selection module 108, and a transmission module 110. In someinstances, the example system 100 can include at least one data store120. The components (e.g., modules, elements, etc.) shown in this figureand all figures herein are exemplary only, and other implementations mayinclude additional, fewer, integrated, or different components. Somecomponents may not be shown so as not to obscure relevant details.

In some embodiments, the device-tailored progressive image module 102can be implemented, in part or in whole, as software, hardware, or anycombination thereof. In general, a module as discussed herein can beassociated with software, hardware, or any combination thereof. In someimplementations, one or more functions, tasks, and/or operations ofmodules can be carried out or performed by software routines, softwareprocesses, hardware, and/or any combination thereof. In some cases, thedevice-tailored progressive image module 102 can be implemented, in partor in whole, as software running on one or more computing devices orsystems, such as on a user or client computing device. For example, thedevice-tailored progressive image module 102 or at least a portionthereof can be implemented as or within an application (e.g., app), aprogram, an applet, or an operating system, etc., running on a usercomputing device or a client computing system, such as the user device710 of FIG. 7. In another example, the device-tailored progressive imagemodule 102 or at least a portion thereof can be implemented using one ormore computing devices or systems that include one or more servers, suchas network servers or cloud servers. In some instances, thedevice-tailored progressive image module 102 can, in part or in whole,be implemented within or configured to operate in conjunction with asocial networking system (or service), such as the social networkingsystem 730 of FIG. 7. It should be understood that there can be manyvariations or other possibilities.

The image portion module 104 can be configured to perform variousoperations or tasks associated with handling or processing images formedbased on respective sets of image portions. In some embodiments, theimage portion module 104 can be configured to facilitate storing a setof image portions that forms an image at a specified resolution. Theimage portion module 104 can, for instance, work or operate inconjunction with the at least one data store 120 to store or cache theimage formed by the set of image portions. In one example, the image canbe one of a plurality of images utilized in a social networking system(or service). In this example, the image can be uploaded or provided bya particular user of the social networking system. The image can also becompressed and/or converted to the specified resolution (e.g., a preset640p by 640p resolution, a preset 1080p by 1080p resolution, etc.). Thenvarious users of the social networking system can view or access theimage. In some cases, the set of image portions forming the image cancorrespond to a set of one or more progressive image scans. Forinstance, the image can correspond to a Joint Photographic Experts Group(JPEG) image and the set of the one or more progressive image scans cancorrespond to a set of one or more progressive JPEG scans. It should beappreciated that all examples herein are provided for illustrativepurposes and that many variations are possible.

In some implementations, the request acquisition module 106 can beconfigured to facilitate acquiring (e.g., receiving, fetching, etc.) arequest from a client device for the image. The request can includeinformation about one or more properties associated with the clientdevice. In one example, the image formed by the set of image portionscan be provided or made available at the social networking system. Inthis example, a viewer or audience member can attempt to utilize his orher computing device (i.e., the client device), such as a smartphone, toaccess a newsfeed, a profile, a page, an album, and/or a communication,etc., at the social networking system. The image can be published orposted via the newsfeed, the profile, the page, the album, and/or thecommunication, etc. In this example, in order to download and render theimage, the computing device of the viewer or audience member accordinglyrequests the image. In some implementations, the request can includeinformation about one or more properties of the computing device of theviewer or audience member. For example, the one or more properties canindicate the resolution of a display element of the computing device,one or more dimensions (e.g., length, width, diagonal, etc.) of thedevice (or of the display element of the device), and/or otherattributes of the device, etc. Again, it is contemplated that there canbe many variations or other possibilities.

Moreover, the subset selection module 108 can be configured tofacilitate selecting a subset of image portions out of the set of imageportions based on the one or more properties associated with the clientdevice. For example, the subset selection module 108 can select moreimage portions to be included in the subset when the one or moreproperties of the client device indicates that the client device iscapable of handling a higher quality version of the image. Similarly,for instance, the subset selection module 108 can include less imageportions in the subset when the one or more properties of the clientdevice indicates that the client device is suitable for a lower qualityversion of the image. More details regarding the subset selection module108 will be provided below with reference to FIG. 2.

Additionally, the transmission module 110 can be configured tofacilitate transmitting the subset of image portions to the clientdevice in response to the request. In some embodiments, since the subsetof image portions is tailored or adjusted for each particular clientdevice based on the respective properties of each client device, theamount of data to be transferred or transmitted by the transmissionmodule 110 can result a significant improvement to payload efficiency oroptimization. Subsequent to the subset of image portions beingtransmitted by the transmission module 110 in response to the request,the disclosed technology can cause the image (or a suitable version ofthe image) to be displayed at the client device. Again, it should beunderstood that there can be many variations or other possibilities.

Furthermore, in some embodiments, the device-tailored progressive imagemodule 102 can be configured to communicate and/or operate with the atleast one data store 120, as shown in the example system 100. The atleast one data store 120 can be configured to store and maintain varioustypes of data. In some implementations, the at least one data store 120can store information associated with the social networking system(e.g., the social networking system 730 of FIG. 7). The informationassociated with the social networking system can include data aboutusers, social connections, social interactions, locations, geo-fencedareas, maps, places, events, pages, groups, posts, communications,content, feeds, account settings, privacy settings, a social graph, andvarious other types of data. In some implementations, the at least onedata store 120 can store information associated with users, such as useridentifiers, user information, profile information, user locations, userspecified settings, content produced or posted by users, and variousother types of user data. In some embodiments, the at least one datastore 120 can store information that is utilized by the device-tailoredprogressive image module 102. Again, it is contemplated that there canbe many variations or other possibilities.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example subset selection module 202 configured tofacilitate adjusting progressive image transmission based on deviceproperties, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Insome embodiments, the subset selection module 108 of FIG. 1 can beimplemented as the example subset selection module 202. As shown in FIG.2, the subset selection module 202 can include a device property module204 and an image portion quantity module 206.

As discussed previously, the subset selection module 202 can beconfigured to facilitate selecting a subset of image portions out of aset of image portions based on one or more properties associated with aclient device. In some embodiments, the subset selection module 202 canutilize the device property module 204 to facilitate determining, basedon the one or more properties, at least one of a client resolution or aclient dimension of a display element (e.g., display screen, monitor,touch display, etc.) of the client device. For instance, the subsetselection module 202 can analyze the one or more properties to determineor identify a resolution (e.g., 1136p by 640p, 1920p by 1080p, etc.) orone or more dimensions (e.g., length, width, diagonal, etc.) of theclient device.

In some implementations, the subset selection module 202 can utilize theimage portion quantity module 206 to facilitate determining a quantityof successive image portions forming a version of the image that iscapable of being rendered (e.g., up-scaled, down-scaled, maintained inscale, etc.) to match, within an allowable deviation, the at least oneof the client resolution or the client dimension of the display element.The image portion quantity module 206 can then include the quantity ofsuccessive image portions in the subset of image portions. Moreover, theversion of the image can maintain at least a specified threshold levelof visually perceived detail. The specified threshold level of visuallyperceived detail can be based on at least some of the one or moreproperties associated with the client device. The disclosed technologycan further cause the version of the image to be displayed via theclient device at the client resolution.

In one example, if the image is at a specified (i.e., preset,predefined, etc.) resolution of 1080p by 1080p and the client resolutionis determined to be 1920p by 1080p, then the image portion quantitymodule 206 can select the entire set of image portions to be included inthe subset (i.e., a non-proper subset). The client device can thenrender and display the image at 1080p by 1080p. In another example, ifthe image is at the specified resolution of 1080p by 1080p and theclient width is 640p, then the image portion quantity module 206 canselect only the first X quantity of image portions in the set to beincluded in the subset of image portions. In this example, the eachimage portion in the X quantity of the subset is still at the specifiedresolution of 1080p by 1080p, but if the subset is rendered at 1080p by1080p, the resulting appearance may be pixelated, blurry, or inferior inimage quality when compared to a resulting appearance produced from theentire set. However, the disclosed technology can enable the clientdevice to down-scale the 1080p by 1080p subset of image portions to 640pby 640p and then display the down-scaled subset of image portions toproduce a 640p by 640p version of the image. In this example, thevisually perceived detail of the image can still be maintained (withinan allowable deviation) at least at a specified threshold level sincethe client device has a width of 640p, but the amount of datatransmitted to the client device is reduced since not all of the entireset of image portions has been transmitted to the client device. Again,all examples herein are provided for illustrative purposes and manyvariations are possible.

Furthermore, in some embodiments, the device property module 204 candetermine that the one or more properties associated with the clientdevice indicate a location at which the client device is used. Based onthe location, the image portion quantity module 206 can select thesubset of image portions out of the set of image portions. In oneinstance, at least a first quantity of successive images portions can beselected by the image portion quantity module 206 to be included in thesubset of image portions when the location corresponds to a first regionrecognized as having at least a specified threshold level of devicecapability or network capability (e.g., a country in which a thresholdnumber of users have computing devices with advanced capabilities beyonda specified minimum level, a state or province with generally reliableor efficient networking technology that satisfies specified criteria,etc.). Moreover, in this instance, a second quantity of successiveimages portions less than the first quantity can be selected by theimage portion quantity module 206 to be included in the subset of imageportions when the location corresponds to a second region recognized ashaving less than the specified threshold level of device capability ornetwork capability (e.g., a territory in which a certain number usershave less developed computing devices that do not meet a specifiedminimum level, a city with generally poor networking technology thatdoes not satisfy specified criteria, etc.). As discussed above, it iscontemplated that many variations are possible.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example diagram 300 representing a progressiveimage associated with adjusting progressive image transmission based ondevice properties, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.In the example diagram 300 of FIG. 3, there can be a representation ofan image which is formed by a set of image portions, such as Scan #1302, Scan #2 304, Scan #3 306, through Scan #N 308, and so forth.

In the example of FIG. 3, the set of image portions can include a set ofone or more progressive image scans. For instance, the image can includea Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) image and the set of the oneor more progressive image scans can include a set of one or moreprogressive JPEG scans. In one example, if the image is at a specifiedresolution of 1080p by 1080p, then the entire set of image portions cancollectively form the image (in full/original detail) at the specifiedresolution. In this example, each image portion in the set cancorrespond to a progressive scan and can also be at the specifiedresolution. The first progressive scan (e.g., Scan #1 302) can providegeneral details of the image. If rendered and displayed, the firstprogressive scan (e.g., Scan #1 302) can appear as a significantlypixelated or blurry 1080p by 1080p version of the image. Each successiveprogressive scan (i.e., each successive image portion) can provide moredetail and appear as a less blurry/pixelated version of the image, whilealso being at the specified resolution. Again, many variations arepossible.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example scenario 400 associated with adjustingprogressive image transmission based on device properties, according toan embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in the examplescenario 400 of FIG. 4, there can be a cache 402 and a plurality ofcomputing devices (or systems), such as devices 410, 412, 414, and 416.In some cases, the cache 402 can be associated with a content deliverynetwork, such as a content delivery network for a social networkingsystem.

As discussed previously, an image at a specified resolution can beformed by, can be represented by, or can include a set of image portions(e.g., progressive scans). In the example scenario 400, the cache 402can store a particular image 420 formed by a particular set of imageportions. In addition to improving data transmission or transferefficiency/optimization, the disclosed technology can also improvestorage or caching efficiency/optimization. In some cases, the disclosedtechnology can enable the cache 402 to exclude one or more differentversions of the image at one or more different resolutions other thanthe specified resolution. As such, for the particular image 420, only asingle version of the particular image 420 is stored at the cache 420.In one instance, the single version of the particular image 420 can bestored or cached at its full or original resolution. In anotherinstance, the single version of the particular image 420 can becompressed and/or converted to the specified resolution.

In some embodiments, the disclosed technology can acquire one or moreproperties about each of the plurality of computing devices 410, 412,414, and 416. In the example scenario 400, the disclosed technology candetermine, based on the properties of the first computing device 410,that the first computing device 410 is suitable for or capable ofhandling a subset 422 of three image portions. The disclosed technologycan also determine, based on the properties of the second computingdevice 412, that the second computing device 412 is suitable for orcapable of handling a subset 424 of two image portions. Moreover, thedisclosed technology can determine, based on the properties of the thirdcomputing device 414, that the third computing device 414 is suitablefor or capable of handling the entire set of image portions (e.g., anon-proper subset 426 of five image portions). Further, the disclosedtechnology can determine, based on the properties of the fourthcomputing device 416, that the fourth computing device 416 is suitablefor or capable of handling a subset 428 of four image portions. Asdiscussed, it should be appreciated that all examples herein areprovided for illustrative purposes and that there can be many variationsor other possibilities.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example method 500 associated with adjustingprogressive image transmission based on device properties, according toan embodiment of the present disclosure. It should be appreciated thatthere can be additional, fewer, or alternative steps performed insimilar or alternative orders, or in parallel, within the scope of thevarious embodiments unless otherwise stated.

At block 502, the example method 500 can store a set of image portionsthat forms an image at a specified resolution. At block 504, the examplemethod 500 can acquire from a client device a request for the image. Therequest can include information about one or more properties associatedwith the client device. At block 506, the example method 500 can selecta subset of image portions out of the set of image portions based on theone or more properties associated with the client device. At block 508,the example method 500 can transmit the subset of image portions to theclient device in response to the request.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example method 600 associated with adjustingprogressive image transmission based on device properties, according toan embodiment of the present disclosure. As discussed, it should beunderstood that there can be additional, fewer, or alternative stepsperformed in similar or alternative orders, or in parallel, within thescope of the various embodiments unless otherwise stated.

At block 602, the example method 600 can determine, based on the one ormore properties, at least one of a client resolution or a clientdimension of a display element of the client device. At block 604, theexample method 600 can determine a quantity of successive image portionsforming a version of the image that is capable of being rendered tomatch, within an allowable deviation, the at least one of the clientresolution or the client dimension of the display element. At block 606,the example method 600 can include the quantity of successive imageportions in the subset of image portions.

It is contemplated that there can be many other uses, applications,features, possibilities, and/or variations associated with the variousembodiments of the present disclosure. For example, in someimplementations, device properties can include information about deviceconnectivity to a network (e.g., WiFi, cellular network, etc.). As such,the subset of image portions can be selected based on the informationabout device connectivity. In another example, in some cases, users canchoose whether or not to opt-in to utilize the disclosed technology. Thedisclosed technology can, for instance, also ensure that various privacysettings and preferences are maintained and can prevent privateinformation from being divulged. In a further example, variousembodiments of the present disclosure can learn, improve, and/or berefined over time.

Social Networking System—Example Implementation

FIG. 7 illustrates a network diagram of an example system 700 that canbe utilized in various scenarios, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present disclosure. The system 700 includes one or more user devices710, one or more external systems 720, a social networking system (orservice) 730, and a network 750. In an embodiment, the social networkingservice, provider, and/or system discussed in connection with theembodiments described above may be implemented as the social networkingsystem 730. For purposes of illustration, the embodiment of the system700, shown by FIG. 7, includes a single external system 720 and a singleuser device 710. However, in other embodiments, the system 700 mayinclude more user devices 710 and/or more external systems 720. Incertain embodiments, the social networking system 730 is operated by asocial network provider, whereas the external systems 720 are separatefrom the social networking system 730 in that they may be operated bydifferent entities. In various embodiments, however, the socialnetworking system 730 and the external systems 720 operate inconjunction to provide social networking services to users (or members)of the social networking system 730. In this sense, the socialnetworking system 730 provides a platform or backbone, which othersystems, such as external systems 720, may use to provide socialnetworking services and functionalities to users across the Internet. Insome embodiments, the social networking system 730 can include orcorrespond to a social media system (or service).

The user device 710 comprises one or more computing devices (or systems)that can receive input from a user and transmit and receive data via thenetwork 750. In one embodiment, the user device 710 is a conventionalcomputer system executing, for example, a Microsoft Windows compatibleoperating system (OS), Apple OS X, and/or a Linux distribution. Inanother embodiment, the user device 710 can be a computing device or adevice having computer functionality, such as a smart-phone, a tablet, apersonal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile telephone, a laptop computer,a wearable device (e.g., a pair of glasses, a watch, a bracelet, etc.),a camera, an appliance, etc. The user device 710 is configured tocommunicate via the network 750. The user device 710 can execute anapplication, for example, a browser application that allows a user ofthe user device 710 to interact with the social networking system 730.In another embodiment, the user device 710 interacts with the socialnetworking system 730 through an application programming interface (API)provided by the native operating system of the user device 710, such asiOS and ANDROID. The user device 710 is configured to communicate withthe external system 720 and the social networking system 730 via thenetwork 750, which may comprise any combination of local area and/orwide area networks, using wired and/or wireless communication systems.

In one embodiment, the network 750 uses standard communicationstechnologies and protocols. Thus, the network 750 can include linksusing technologies such as Ethernet, 802.11, worldwide interoperabilityfor microwave access (WiMAX), 3G, 4G, CDMA, GSM, LTE, digital subscriberline (DSL), etc. Similarly, the networking protocols used on the network750 can include multiprotocol label switching (MPLS), transmissioncontrol protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP), User Datagram Protocol(UDP), hypertext transport protocol (HTTP), simple mail transferprotocol (SMTP), file transfer protocol (FTP), and the like. The dataexchanged over the network 750 can be represented using technologiesand/or formats including hypertext markup language (HTML) and extensiblemarkup language (XML). In addition, all or some links can be encryptedusing conventional encryption technologies such as secure sockets layer(SSL), transport layer security (TLS), and Internet Protocol security(IPsec).

In one embodiment, the user device 710 may display content from theexternal system 720 and/or from the social networking system 730 byprocessing a markup language document 714 received from the externalsystem 720 and from the social networking system 730 using a browserapplication 712. The markup language document 714 identifies content andone or more instructions describing formatting or presentation of thecontent. By executing the instructions included in the markup languagedocument 714, the browser application 712 displays the identifiedcontent using the format or presentation described by the markuplanguage document 714. For example, the markup language document 714includes instructions for generating and displaying a web page havingmultiple frames that include text and/or image data retrieved from theexternal system 720 and the social networking system 730. In variousembodiments, the markup language document 714 comprises a data fileincluding extensible markup language (XML) data, extensible hypertextmarkup language (XHTML) data, or other markup language data.Additionally, the markup language document 714 may include JavaScriptObject Notation (JSON) data, JSON with padding (JSONP), and JavaScriptdata to facilitate data-interchange between the external system 720 andthe user device 710. The browser application 712 on the user device 710may use a JavaScript compiler to decode the markup language document714.

The markup language document 714 may also include, or link to,applications or application frameworks such as FLASH™ or Unity™applications, the Silverlight™ application framework, etc.

In one embodiment, the user device 710 also includes one or more cookies716 including data indicating whether a user of the user device 710 islogged into the social networking system 730, which may enablemodification of the data communicated from the social networking system730 to the user device 710.

The external system 720 includes one or more web servers that includeone or more web pages 722 a, 722 b, which are communicated to the userdevice 710 using the network 750. The external system 720 is separatefrom the social networking system 730. For example, the external system720 is associated with a first domain, while the social networkingsystem 730 is associated with a separate social networking domain. Webpages 722 a, 722 b, included in the external system 720, comprise markuplanguage documents 714 identifying content and including instructionsspecifying formatting or presentation of the identified content.

The social networking system 730 includes one or more computing devicesfor a social network, including a plurality of users, and providingusers of the social network with the ability to communicate and interactwith other users of the social network. In some instances, the socialnetwork can be represented by a graph, i.e., a data structure includingedges and nodes. Other data structures can also be used to represent thesocial network, including but not limited to databases, objects,classes, meta elements, files, or any other data structure. The socialnetworking system 730 may be administered, managed, or controlled by anoperator. The operator of the social networking system 730 may be ahuman being, an automated application, or a series of applications formanaging content, regulating policies, and collecting usage metricswithin the social networking system 730. Any type of operator may beused.

Users may join the social networking system 730 and then add connectionsto any number of other users of the social networking system 730 to whomthey desire to be connected. As used herein, the term “friend” refers toany other user of the social networking system 730 to whom a user hasformed a connection, association, or relationship via the socialnetworking system 730. For example, in an embodiment, if users in thesocial networking system 730 are represented as nodes in the socialgraph, the term “friend” can refer to an edge formed between anddirectly connecting two user nodes.

Connections may be added explicitly by a user or may be automaticallycreated by the social networking system 730 based on commoncharacteristics of the users (e.g., users who are alumni of the sameeducational institution). For example, a first user specifically selectsa particular other user to be a friend. Connections in the socialnetworking system 730 are usually in both directions, but need not be,so the terms “user” and “friend” depend on the frame of reference.Connections between users of the social networking system 730 areusually bilateral (“two-way”), or “mutual,” but connections may also beunilateral, or “one-way.” For example, if Bob and Joe are both users ofthe social networking system 730 and connected to each other, Bob andJoe are each other's connections. If, on the other hand, Bob wishes toconnect to Joe to view data communicated to the social networking system730 by Joe, but Joe does not wish to form a mutual connection, aunilateral connection may be established. The connection between usersmay be a direct connection; however, some embodiments of the socialnetworking system 730 allow the connection to be indirect via one ormore levels of connections or degrees of separation.

In addition to establishing and maintaining connections between usersand allowing interactions between users, the social networking system730 provides users with the ability to take actions on various types ofitems supported by the social networking system 730. These items mayinclude groups or networks (i.e., social networks of people, entities,and concepts) to which users of the social networking system 730 maybelong, events or calendar entries in which a user might be interested,computer-based applications that a user may use via the socialnetworking system 730, transactions that allow users to buy or sellitems via services provided by or through the social networking system730, and interactions with advertisements that a user may perform on oroff the social networking system 730. These are just a few examples ofthe items upon which a user may act on the social networking system 730,and many others are possible. A user may interact with anything that iscapable of being represented in the social networking system 730 or inthe external system 720, separate from the social networking system 730,or coupled to the social networking system 730 via the network 750.

The social networking system 730 is also capable of linking a variety ofentities. For example, the social networking system 730 enables users tointeract with each other as well as external systems 720 or otherentities through an API, a web service, or other communication channels.The social networking system 730 generates and maintains the “socialgraph” comprising a plurality of nodes interconnected by a plurality ofedges. Each node in the social graph may represent an entity that canact on another node and/or that can be acted on by another node. Thesocial graph may include various types of nodes. Examples of types ofnodes include users, non-person entities, content items, web pages,groups, activities, messages, concepts, and any other things that can berepresented by an object in the social networking system 730. An edgebetween two nodes in the social graph may represent a particular kind ofconnection, or association, between the two nodes, which may result fromnode relationships or from an action that was performed by one of thenodes on the other node. In some cases, the edges between nodes can beweighted. The weight of an edge can represent an attribute associatedwith the edge, such as a strength of the connection or associationbetween nodes. Different types of edges can be provided with differentweights. For example, an edge created when one user “likes” another usermay be given one weight, while an edge created when a user befriendsanother user may be given a different weight.

As an example, when a first user identifies a second user as a friend,an edge in the social graph is generated connecting a node representingthe first user and a second node representing the second user. Asvarious nodes relate or interact with each other, the social networkingsystem 730 modifies edges connecting the various nodes to reflect therelationships and interactions.

The social networking system 730 also includes user-generated content,which enhances a user's interactions with the social networking system730. User-generated content may include anything a user can add, upload,send, or “post” to the social networking system 730. For example, a usercommunicates posts to the social networking system 730 from a userdevice 710. Posts may include data such as status updates or othertextual data, location information, images such as photos, videos,links, music or other similar data and/or media. Content may also beadded to the social networking system 730 by a third party. Content“items” are represented as objects in the social networking system 730.In this way, users of the social networking system 730 are encouraged tocommunicate with each other by posting text and content items of varioustypes of media through various communication channels. Suchcommunication increases the interaction of users with each other andincreases the frequency with which users interact with the socialnetworking system 730.

The social networking system 730 includes a web server 732, an APIrequest server 734, a user profile store 736, a connection store 738, anaction logger 740, an activity log 742, and an authorization server 744.In an embodiment of the invention, the social networking system 730 mayinclude additional, fewer, or different components for variousapplications. Other components, such as network interfaces, securitymechanisms, load balancers, failover servers, management and networkoperations consoles, and the like are not shown so as to not obscure thedetails of the system.

The user profile store 736 maintains information about user accounts,including biographic, demographic, and other types of descriptiveinformation, such as work experience, educational history, hobbies orpreferences, location, and the like that has been declared by users orinferred by the social networking system 730. This information is storedin the user profile store 736 such that each user is uniquelyidentified. The social networking system 730 also stores data describingone or more connections between different users in the connection store738. The connection information may indicate users who have similar orcommon work experience, group memberships, hobbies, or educationalhistory. Additionally, the social networking system 730 includesuser-defined connections between different users, allowing users tospecify their relationships with other users. For example, user-definedconnections allow users to generate relationships with other users thatparallel the users' real-life relationships, such as friends,co-workers, partners, and so forth. Users may select from predefinedtypes of connections, or define their own connection types as needed.Connections with other nodes in the social networking system 730, suchas non-person entities, buckets, cluster centers, images, interests,pages, external systems, concepts, and the like are also stored in theconnection store 738.

The social networking system 730 maintains data about objects with whicha user may interact. To maintain this data, the user profile store 736and the connection store 738 store instances of the corresponding typeof objects maintained by the social networking system 730. Each objecttype has information fields that are suitable for storing informationappropriate to the type of object. For example, the user profile store736 contains data structures with fields suitable for describing auser's account and information related to a user's account. When a newobject of a particular type is created, the social networking system 730initializes a new data structure of the corresponding type, assigns aunique object identifier to it, and begins to add data to the object asneeded. This might occur, for example, when a user becomes a user of thesocial networking system 730, the social networking system 730 generatesa new instance of a user profile in the user profile store 736, assignsa unique identifier to the user account, and begins to populate thefields of the user account with information provided by the user.

The connection store 738 includes data structures suitable fordescribing a user's connections to other users, connections to externalsystems 720 or connections to other entities. The connection store 738may also associate a connection type with a user's connections, whichmay be used in conjunction with the user's privacy setting to regulateaccess to information about the user. In an embodiment of the invention,the user profile store 736 and the connection store 738 may beimplemented as a federated database.

Data stored in the connection store 738, the user profile store 736, andthe activity log 742 enables the social networking system 730 togenerate the social graph that uses nodes to identify various objectsand edges connecting nodes to identify relationships between differentobjects. For example, if a first user establishes a connection with asecond user in the social networking system 730, user accounts of thefirst user and the second user from the user profile store 736 may actas nodes in the social graph. The connection between the first user andthe second user stored by the connection store 738 is an edge betweenthe nodes associated with the first user and the second user. Continuingthis example, the second user may then send the first user a messagewithin the social networking system 730. The action of sending themessage, which may be stored, is another edge between the two nodes inthe social graph representing the first user and the second user.Additionally, the message itself may be identified and included in thesocial graph as another node connected to the nodes representing thefirst user and the second user.

In another example, a first user may tag a second user in an image thatis maintained by the social networking system 730 (or, alternatively, inan image maintained by another system outside of the social networkingsystem 730). The image may itself be represented as a node in the socialnetworking system 730. This tagging action may create edges between thefirst user and the second user as well as create an edge between each ofthe users and the image, which is also a node in the social graph. Inyet another example, if a user confirms attending an event, the user andthe event are nodes obtained from the user profile store 736, where theattendance of the event is an edge between the nodes that may beretrieved from the activity log 742. By generating and maintaining thesocial graph, the social networking system 730 includes data describingmany different types of objects and the interactions and connectionsamong those objects, providing a rich source of socially relevantinformation.

The web server 732 links the social networking system 730 to one or moreuser devices 710 and/or one or more external systems 720 via the network750. The web server 732 serves web pages, as well as other web-relatedcontent, such as Java, JavaScript, Flash, XML, and so forth. The webserver 732 may include a mail server or other messaging functionalityfor receiving and routing messages between the social networking system730 and one or more user devices 710. The messages can be instantmessages, queued messages (e.g., email), text and SMS messages, or anyother suitable messaging format.

The API request server 734 allows one or more external systems 720 anduser devices 710 to call access information from the social networkingsystem 730 by calling one or more API functions. The API request server734 may also allow external systems 720 to send information to thesocial networking system 730 by calling APIs. The external system 720,in one embodiment, sends an API request to the social networking system730 via the network 750, and the API request server 734 receives the APIrequest. The API request server 734 processes the request by calling anAPI associated with the API request to generate an appropriate response,which the API request server 734 communicates to the external system 720via the network 750. For example, responsive to an API request, the APIrequest server 734 collects data associated with a user, such as theuser's connections that have logged into the external system 720, andcommunicates the collected data to the external system 720. In anotherembodiment, the user device 710 communicates with the social networkingsystem 730 via APIs in the same manner as external systems 720.

The action logger 740 is capable of receiving communications from theweb server 732 about user actions on and/or off the social networkingsystem 730. The action logger 740 populates the activity log 742 withinformation about user actions, enabling the social networking system730 to discover various actions taken by its users within the socialnetworking system 730 and outside of the social networking system 730.Any action that a particular user takes with respect to another node onthe social networking system 730 may be associated with each user'saccount, through information maintained in the activity log 742 or in asimilar database or other data repository. Examples of actions taken bya user within the social networking system 730 that are identified andstored may include, for example, adding a connection to another user,sending a message to another user, reading a message from another user,viewing content associated with another user, attending an event postedby another user, posting an image, attempting to post an image, or otheractions interacting with another user or another object. When a usertakes an action within the social networking system 730, the action isrecorded in the activity log 742. In one embodiment, the socialnetworking system 730 maintains the activity log 742 as a database ofentries. When an action is taken within the social networking system730, an entry for the action is added to the activity log 742. Theactivity log 742 may be referred to as an action log.

Additionally, user actions may be associated with concepts and actionsthat occur within an entity outside of the social networking system 730,such as an external system 720 that is separate from the socialnetworking system 730. For example, the action logger 740 may receivedata describing a user's interaction with an external system 720 fromthe web server 732. In this example, the external system 720 reports auser's interaction according to structured actions and objects in thesocial graph.

Other examples of actions where a user interacts with an external system720 include a user expressing an interest in an external system 720 oranother entity, a user posting a comment to the social networking system730 that discusses an external system 720 or a web page 722a within theexternal system 720, a user posting to the social networking system 730a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or other identifier associated with anexternal system 720, a user attending an event associated with anexternal system 720, or any other action by a user that is related to anexternal system 720. Thus, the activity log 742 may include actionsdescribing interactions between a user of the social networking system730 and an external system 720 that is separate from the socialnetworking system 730.

The authorization server 744 enforces one or more privacy settings ofthe users of the social networking system 730. A privacy setting of auser determines how particular information associated with a user can beshared. The privacy setting comprises the specification of particularinformation associated with a user and the specification of the entityor entities with whom the information can be shared. Examples ofentities with which information can be shared may include other users,applications, external systems 720, or any entity that can potentiallyaccess the information. The information that can be shared by a usercomprises user account information, such as profile photos, phonenumbers associated with the user, user's connections, actions taken bythe user such as adding a connection, changing user profile information,and the like.

The privacy setting specification may be provided at different levels ofgranularity. For example, the privacy setting may identify specificinformation to be shared with other users; the privacy settingidentifies a work phone number or a specific set of related information,such as, personal information including profile photo, home phonenumber, and status. Alternatively, the privacy setting may apply to allthe information associated with the user. The specification of the setof entities that can access particular information can also be specifiedat various levels of granularity. Various sets of entities with whichinformation can be shared may include, for example, all friends of theuser, all friends of friends, all applications, or all external systems720. One embodiment allows the specification of the set of entities tocomprise an enumeration of entities. For example, the user may provide alist of external systems 720 that are allowed to access certaininformation. Another embodiment allows the specification to comprise aset of entities along with exceptions that are not allowed to access theinformation. For example, a user may allow all external systems 720 toaccess the user's work information, but specify a list of externalsystems 720 that are not allowed to access the work information. Certainembodiments call the list of exceptions that are not allowed to accesscertain information a “block list”. External systems 720 belonging to ablock list specified by a user are blocked from accessing theinformation specified in the privacy setting. Various combinations ofgranularity of specification of information, and granularity ofspecification of entities, with which information is shared arepossible. For example, all personal information may be shared withfriends whereas all work information may be shared with friends offriends.

The authorization server 744 contains logic to determine if certaininformation associated with a user can be accessed by a user's friends,external systems 720, and/or other applications and entities. Theexternal system 720 may need authorization from the authorization server744 to access the user's more private and sensitive information, such asthe user's work phone number. Based on the user's privacy settings, theauthorization server 744 determines if another user, the external system720, an application, or another entity is allowed to access informationassociated with the user, including information about actions taken bythe user.

In some embodiments, the social networking system 730 can include adevice-tailored progressive image module 746. The device-tailoredprogressive image module 746 can, for example, be implemented as thedevice-tailored progressive image module 102 of FIG. 1. As discussedpreviously, it should be appreciated that there can be many variationsor other possibilities. For example, in some instances, thedevice-tailored progressive image module (or at least a portion thereof)can be included or implemented in the user device 710. Other features ofthe device-tailored progressive image module 746 are discussed herein inconnection with the device-tailored progressive image module 102.

Hardware Implementation

The foregoing processes and features can be implemented by a widevariety of machine and computer system architectures and in a widevariety of network and computing environments. FIG. 8 illustrates anexample of a computer system 800 that may be used to implement one ormore of the embodiments described herein in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. The computer system 800 includes sets ofinstructions for causing the computer system 800 to perform theprocesses and features discussed herein. The computer system 800 may beconnected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networkeddeployment, the computer system 800 may operate in the capacity of aserver machine or a client machine in a client-server networkenvironment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed)network environment. In an embodiment of the invention, the computersystem 800 may be the social networking system 730, the user device 710,and the external system 820, or a component thereof. In an embodiment ofthe invention, the computer system 800 may be one server among many thatconstitutes all or part of the social networking system 730.

The computer system 800 includes a processor 802, a cache 804, and oneor more executable modules and drivers, stored on a computer-readablemedium, directed to the processes and features described herein.Additionally, the computer system 800 includes a high performanceinput/output (I/O) bus 806 and a standard I/O bus 808. A host bridge 810couples processor 802 to high performance I/O bus 806, whereas I/O busbridge 812 couples the two buses 806 and 808 to each other. A systemmemory 814 and one or more network interfaces 816 couple to highperformance I/O bus 806. The computer system 800 may further includevideo memory and a display device coupled to the video memory (notshown). Mass storage 818 and I/O ports 820 couple to the standard I/Obus 808. The computer system 800 may optionally include a keyboard andpointing device, a display device, or other input/output devices (notshown) coupled to the standard I/O bus 808. Collectively, these elementsare intended to represent a broad category of computer hardware systems,including but not limited to computer systems based on thex86-compatible processors manufactured by Intel Corporation of SantaClara, Calif., and the x86-compatible processors manufactured byAdvanced Micro Devices (AMD), Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif., as well as anyother suitable processor.

An operating system manages and controls the operation of the computersystem 800, including the input and output of data to and from softwareapplications (not shown). The operating system provides an interfacebetween the software applications being executed on the system and thehardware components of the system. Any suitable operating system may beused, such as the LINUX Operating System, the Apple Macintosh OperatingSystem, available from Apple Computer Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., UNIXoperating systems, Microsoft® Windows® operating systems, BSD operatingsystems, and the like. Other implementations are possible.

The elements of the computer system 800 are described in greater detailbelow. In particular, the network interface 816 provides communicationbetween the computer system 800 and any of a wide range of networks,such as an Ethernet (e.g., IEEE 802.3) network, a backplane, etc. Themass storage 818 provides permanent storage for the data and programminginstructions to perform the above-described processes and featuresimplemented by the respective computing systems identified above,whereas the system memory 814 (e.g., DRAM) provides temporary storagefor the data and programming instructions when executed by the processor802. The I/O ports 820 may be one or more serial and/or parallelcommunication ports that provide communication between additionalperipheral devices, which may be coupled to the computer system 800.

The computer system 800 may include a variety of system architectures,and various components of the computer system 800 may be rearranged. Forexample, the cache 804 may be on-chip with processor 802. Alternatively,the cache 804 and the processor 802 may be packed together as a“processor module”, with processor 802 being referred to as the“processor core”. Furthermore, certain embodiments of the invention mayneither require nor include all of the above components. For example,peripheral devices coupled to the standard I/O bus 808 may couple to thehigh performance I/O bus 806. In addition, in some embodiments, only asingle bus may exist, with the components of the computer system 800being coupled to the single bus. Moreover, the computer system 800 mayinclude additional components, such as additional processors, storagedevices, or memories.

In general, the processes and features described herein may beimplemented as part of an operating system or a specific application,component, program, object, module, or series of instructions referredto as “programs”. For example, one or more programs may be used toexecute specific processes described herein. The programs typicallycomprise one or more instructions in various memory and storage devicesin the computer system 800 that, when read and executed by one or moreprocessors, cause the computer system 800 to perform operations toexecute the processes and features described herein. The processes andfeatures described herein may be implemented in software, firmware,hardware (e.g., an application specific integrated circuit), or anycombination thereof.

In one implementation, the processes and features described herein areimplemented as a series of executable modules run by the computer system800, individually or collectively in a distributed computingenvironment. The foregoing modules may be realized by hardware,executable modules stored on a computer-readable medium (ormachine-readable medium), or a combination of both. For example, themodules may comprise a plurality or series of instructions to beexecuted by a processor in a hardware system, such as the processor 802.Initially, the series of instructions may be stored on a storage device,such as the mass storage 818. However, the series of instructions can bestored on any suitable computer readable storage medium. Furthermore,the series of instructions need not be stored locally, and could bereceived from a remote storage device, such as a server on a network,via the network interface 816. The instructions are copied from thestorage device, such as the mass storage 818, into the system memory 814and then accessed and executed by the processor 802. In variousimplementations, a module or modules can be executed by a processor ormultiple processors in one or multiple locations, such as multipleservers in a parallel processing environment.

Examples of computer-readable media include, but are not limited to,recordable type media such as volatile and non-volatile memory devices;solid state memories; floppy and other removable disks; hard diskdrives; magnetic media; optical disks (e.g., Compact Disk Read-OnlyMemory (CD ROMS), Digital Versatile Disks (DVDs)); other similarnon-transitory (or transitory), tangible (or non-tangible) storagemedium; or any type of medium suitable for storing, encoding, orcarrying a series of instructions for execution by the computer system800 to perform any one or more of the processes and features describedherein.

For purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of the description. It will beapparent, however, to one skilled in the art that embodiments of thedisclosure can be practiced without these specific details. In someinstances, modules, structures, processes, features, and devices areshown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the description.In other instances, functional block diagrams and flow diagrams areshown to represent data and logic flows. The components of blockdiagrams and flow diagrams (e.g., modules, blocks, structures, devices,features, etc.) may be variously combined, separated, removed,reordered, and replaced in a manner other than as expressly describedand depicted herein.

Reference in this specification to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”,“other embodiments”, “one series of embodiments”, “some embodiments”,“various embodiments”, or the like means that a particular feature,design, structure, or characteristic described in connection with theembodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure. Theappearances of, for example, the phrase “in one embodiment” or “in anembodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarilyall referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternativeembodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Moreover, whetheror not there is express reference to an “embodiment” or the like,various features are described, which may be variously combined andincluded in some embodiments, but also variously omitted in otherembodiments. Similarly, various features are described that may bepreferences or requirements for some embodiments, but not otherembodiments. Furthermore, reference in this specification to “based on”can mean “based, at least in part, on”, “based on at least aportion/part of”, “at least a portion/part of which is based on”, and/orany combination thereof.

The language used herein has been principally selected for readabilityand instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected todelineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. It is thereforeintended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detaileddescription, but rather by any claims that issue on an application basedhereon. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodiments of the inventionis intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of theinvention, which is set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method comprising:storing, by a computing system, a set of image portions that forms animage at a specified resolution; acquiring, by the computing system, arequest from a client device for the image, the request includinginformation about one or more properties associated with the clientdevice; selecting, by the computing system, a subset of image portionsout of the set of image portions based on the one or more propertiesassociated with the client device; and transmitting, by the computingsystem, the subset of image portions to the client device in response tothe request.
 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, whereinselecting the subset of image portions out of the set of image portionsbased on the one or more properties associated with the client devicefurther comprises: determining, based on the one or more properties, atleast one of a client resolution or a client dimension of a displayelement of the client device; determining a quantity of successive imageportions forming a version of the image that is capable of beingrendered to match, within an allowable deviation, the at least one ofthe client resolution or the client dimension of the display element;and including the quantity of successive image portions in the subset ofimage portions.
 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, whereinthe version of the image maintains at least a specified threshold levelof visually perceived detail, and wherein the specified threshold levelof visually perceived detail is based on at least some of the one ormore properties associated with the client device.
 4. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising: causing theversion of the image to be displayed via the client device at the clientresolution.
 5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein theone or more properties associated with the client device indicate alocation at which the client device is used, and wherein the subset ofimage portions is selected out of the set of image portions based on thelocation.
 6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein atleast a first quantity of successive images portions is selected to beincluded in the subset of image portions when the location correspondsto a first region recognized as having at least a specified thresholdlevel of device capability or network capability, and wherein a secondquantity of successive images portions less than the first quantity isselected to be included in the subset of image portions when thelocation corresponds to a second region recognized as having less thanthe specified threshold level of device capability or networkcapability.
 7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein theset of image portions that forms the image at the specified resolutionis stored via a cache associated with a content delivery network.
 8. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the cache excludes oneor more different versions of the image at one or more differentresolutions other than the specified resolution.
 9. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the set of imageportions includes a set of one or more progressive image scans.
 10. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the image includes aJoint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) image, and wherein the set ofthe one or more progressive image scans includes a set of one or moreprogressive JPEG scans.
 11. A system comprising: at least one processor;and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at leastone processor, cause the system to perform: storing a set of imageportions that forms an image at a specified resolution; acquiring arequest from a client device for the image, the request includinginformation about one or more properties associated with the clientdevice; selecting a subset of image portions out of the set of imageportions based on the one or more properties associated with the clientdevice; and transmitting the subset of image portions to the clientdevice in response to the request.
 12. The system of claim 11, whereinselecting the subset of image portions out of the set of image portionsbased on the one or more properties associated with the client devicefurther comprises: determining, based on the one or more properties, atleast one of a client resolution or a client dimension of a displayelement of the client device; determining a quantity of successive imageportions forming a version of the image that is capable of beingrendered to match, within an allowable deviation, the at least one ofthe client resolution or the client dimension of the display element;and including the quantity of successive image portions in the subset ofimage portions.
 13. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or moreproperties associated with the client device indicate a location atwhich the client device is used, and wherein the subset of imageportions is selected out of the set of image portions based on thelocation.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein at least a first quantityof successive images portions is selected to be included in the subsetof image portions when the location corresponds to a first regionrecognized as having at least a specified threshold level of devicecapability or network capability, and wherein a second quantity ofsuccessive images portions less than the first quantity is selected tobe included in the subset of image portions when the locationcorresponds to a second region recognized as having less than thespecified threshold level of device capability or network capability.15. The system of claim 11, wherein the set of image portions includes aset of one or more progressive image scans.
 16. A non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium including instructions that, whenexecuted by at least one processor of a computing system, cause thecomputing system to perform a method comprising: storing a set of imageportions that forms an image at a specified resolution; acquiring arequest from a client device for the image, the request includinginformation about one or more properties associated with the clientdevice; selecting a subset of image portions out of the set of imageportions based on the one or more properties associated with the clientdevice; and transmitting the subset of image portions to the clientdevice in response to the request.
 17. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein selecting thesubset of image portions out of the set of image portions based on theone or more properties associated with the client device furthercomprises: determining, based on the one or more properties, at leastone of a client resolution or the client dimension of a display elementof the client device; determining a quantity of successive imageportions forming a version of the image that is capable of beingrendered to match, within an allowable deviation, the at least one ofthe client resolution or the client dimension of the display element;and including the quantity of successive image portions in the subset ofimage portions.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage mediumof claim 16, wherein the one or more properties associated with theclient device indicate a location at which the client device is used,and wherein the subset of image portions is selected out of the set ofimage portions based on the location.
 19. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein at least a firstquantity of successive images portions is selected to be included in thesubset of image portions when the location corresponds to a first regionrecognized as having at least a specified threshold level of devicecapability or network capability, and wherein a second quantity ofsuccessive images portions less than the first quantity is selected tobe included in the subset of image portions when the locationcorresponds to a second region recognized as having less than thespecified threshold level of device capability or network capability.20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16,wherein the set of image portions includes a set of one or moreprogressive image scans.